I had an oddity midday today. 2 breakers went off with no serious loads being drawn. Both were(are) 15 amp, square D 200 amp panel.
Both are servicing bedrooms. In the master I have an oil filled radiater, a TV, computer, clock radio, and a lamp and an air purifier..oh, ele blanket too.
At the time of the trip, the purifier and lamp and TV were not activated. I think the ele blanket was on low if on at all.
The other room, had zero load, it is my wifes bedroom, and being gone nothing is/was on, cept a radio/cd player plugged in and not being used.
Might there be a short or fault in my wireing? When reset the breaker for the master, it was wanting to not reset on the first flip..but did on the second try. This is relatively new wireing, not the old part of the house, and I did not ever alter that even tho’ the old owner was not too handy with the actualls of building, the wireing looks to be done competently, and is labled in the box by a real ele.
I have left the wifes room circut off, being as I will be away too for work in the AM, and am considering killing the circut to the master before I leave…
I hope one of us has an Idea..I am clueless.
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How old is the wiring in these bedrooms? Are they AFCI breakers? How are they situated in the panel, across from one another or stacked one on top of the other? If you pull the panel cover what color are the wires landed on the breakers?
Wires are less than 10 yrs, not arc fault, and stacked on the right side bottom of the box, I have the 14ga black (15 amp) feeding the rooms..I DO not know if the ground and neutrl is not bonded, but I can check..it was a pita to hook up a cord and a drop light just to identify the circut(s) when I reset the popped one.
I have been living here for 2 yrs, never a prblem..hence my concern. I am not an ele, but knoe enough to know when sumptin is awry.
In redoing a few lights ( again,15 amp clean runs) I was fastidious..nothing else on this leg or the other. I saw no depreciable mistakes in the main dist. box..it is really good work, neat and tidy bends
My fear is just that ..fear. And as we all know , when ya take a car to the mechanic, ya can't repeat the problem.
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Did they trip at the same time?
yep..and the other circut feeding the bathroom and hall light was not affected.
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If they tripped at the same time, they probably were run using 14/3 and share a neutral. My first inclination would be to the electric blanket, it has been my experience that as these get older and wear a little bit they tend to draw more current than when new. In addition the loads you described in the Master Bed could add up to enough current to trip the breaker. I am not familiar with the current draw of the radiatior (it should be on the label.
The other thing it could be is that there is a junction box that has feeds from both circuit breakers in it and somehow a wirenut has slipped. If the hots touch that would trip both breakers at the same time as they are on opposite phases (stacked in the panel).
I am heading out for a couple of hours and will check back in when I get back, but just as likely is that you will get your question answered by this forum before then. I love this place!!
Edited 1/25/2006 9:15 pm by dutchblue
Your second para rings true..my dog is like a trampoline on 4 legs..I did discover a few hidden J boxes in the remodle..
Thank you..b4 I sleep tonite..
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Don't know what you have but the oil-filled radiator heater I have is two elements, 600 and 900 watts which would be 12.5 amps at 120v with both on. There was a recall many years for the DeLongi ones for some control board issue.
yeah..looks like I am pullin 1500 watt on high, my math bad.
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Glad to help shed some light so to speak (poor pun I know).
Looks like you got it nailed. Sleep well.